Dear all
There is a purpose to the existence of media. In my opinion, it is all about - communication of relevant news depending on the category where the specific media operates. Relevance is a key word here.
How media operates-
Media players get most of their revenues from advertisements and there is nothing wrong in that. The problem arises when you see articles or stories mostly of the outfits of the advertisers- sometimes the ads and the stories appear in the same issue - making this so obvious.
Does media have an option?
I don’t think so. People are not ready to pay more for newspapers. Subscription revenue can never equal the advertising revenues. Only 2 ways exist - either hike the price or increase the numbers. Price hiking won’t happen as affordability and other issues will create the problem. Increasing number of people who read newspapers can happen only if literacy increases.
How will literate people do menial jobs? labour jobs?
Ok- India is a great country with a greater advantage in low labour costs. However, this cost advantage shall no longer exist if all those workers whom everyone shun and look at with cruel eyes start educating themselves. Because as we are educated and don’t like to do labourintensive jobs for peanuts the same will hold true for them
Big lobbying against education
Try entering a mill or a small factory and start convincing the workers to educate themselves. See how the entrepreneur reacts - he definitely will not like it. The fact is that there is no level playing field and ordinary mortals feel superior in absence of any competition from those unfortunate who are not getting a chance to educate themselves. And there is enough reason to believe that someone somewhere is ensuring that they don’t get educated.
What is the way out?
Bring mechanisation in most of such jobs - like security, loading, unloading. I am sure it can be done with the kind of brains we have in our nation. However, simultaneously these people should be educated and if there are more minds who can think better and intelligently it would be more better for India
Newspapers need not come everyday
The compulsion on the publisher’s side to come out with a newspaper everyday creates problems. News no longer remain news but are’space filling’ exercises. Let this menace stop. Let newspublishers stop publishing something that sees its death within few minutes and soon finds a way to the’raddi’
Let meaningful stuff - news - real news come out. Let the model shift from advertising revenue led to subscription revenue led. This will happen with better literacy
Educate people around you who aren’t. They may be your kaamwallahs - they may be your car drivers- shed your ego and start preparing a level playing field
Regs
Saurabh